Field
The present disclosure relates to decontamination systems and methods, and particularly, to systems and methods for sterilizing enclosed spaces through ozone generation.
Description of the Related Art
The removal of harmful or irritating contaminants, such as, for example, bacteria, viruses, bacteriophages, molds, spores, and cigarette smoke particulates, is a common goal in many areas where such contaminants proliferate. Within many environments, such as, for example, hospital rooms, airplanes, gyms, hotel rooms, rental cars, and laboratory and medical equipment, the presence of such contaminants can lead to harmful and/or disruptive results. For example, in hospital rooms and other healthcare facilities, sick patients introduce illness-causing bacteria and viruses into the air regularly. The presence of such contaminants is particularly dangerous in healthcare facilities where many patients have compromised immune systems that render them more susceptible to the contaminants' potentially adverse health effects. Additionally, in laboratory settings, spores, mold, bacteria, viruses, bacteriophages, and other foreign biological materials can contaminate test cultures, leading to inaccurate test results, costly delays, and potentially, loss of non-reproducible parent cultures.
Various methods currently exist for decontaminating enclosed spaces. In one method, a spray disinfectant is sprayed onto the surfaces of an enclosed space and wiped away. This method is time-intensive, requires frequent repetition, and limits disinfection to accessible surfaces. Biological materials present in the air and on difficult to reach surfaces often remain untouched. Additionally, commonly-used disinfecting agents are either limited in effectiveness or cytotoxic. Such a method may expose individuals doing the cleaning to chemicals harmful to their health. In another method, an ultraviolet radiator is used to disinfect a small enclosed space, such as a laboratory incubator or laboratory laminar flow hood. In such a method, disinfection is only possible in places directly exposed to the ultraviolet light. Steam-in-place sterilization is available in some laboratory settings, such as, for example, in laboratory hoods, incubators, and reaction vessels; however, the method is impractical in many environments. Steam-in-place sterilization can only be used within equipment capable of withstanding moisture and extremely high temperatures (approximately 100-180 degrees Celsius). Additionally, steam-in-place sterilization requires the installation of expensive steam-producing equipment. Other sterilization methods, such as sterilization within an ozone chamber or autoclave chamber are designed to sterilize objects placed within a sterilization chamber, making the method unusable for the decontamination of fixtures, rooms, large equipment, and other immobile and/or bulky items.